cross-strait relations

China May Be Seeking to Drive the Public into the KMT’s Arms Through Military Intimidation

Brian Hioe
A political spat between high-ranking KMT and DPP politicians broke out last month after comments by former president Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT regarding Taiwan’s national defense. According to Ma, in the event of a Chinese invasion, Taiwan’s military would not last for more than several days, as a result of which the “first battle would be the last battle.” Consequently, Ma referred to current president Tsai Ing-wen’s cross-strait policy as overly provocative of China, as having brought Taiwan to “the brink of war”...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20207 min read

Despite Azar Visit, America is Unlikely to Learn from Taiwan’s Experiences Fighting COVID-19

Brian Hioe
News that American Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar plans to visit Taiwan as part of a diplomatic visit in the near future is ironic, given America’s disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Azar’s visit to Taiwan will be conducted under the auspices of seeking to learn from Taiwan’s successes fighting off the COVID-19 pandemic, one generally expects this to be primarily political theater...
August 2020EnglishPolitics10 min read

Ko Wen-je Carries Out City-Based Exchange by Video Conference with Shanghai in Late July

Brian Hioe
An online video conference to commemorate city-based cross-strait exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai was held late last month. City-based cross-strait exchanges have taken place under the auspices of Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je since 2016. The meeting was held on July 22nd, with proceedings on the Taipei side taking place at the Regent Taipei, while proceedings for the Shanghai side took place at the Shanghai International Convention Center...
August 2020EnglishPolitics6 min read

Actions by Trump Indicate Taiwan and Hong Kong Used Only to Score Points Against China

Brian Hioe
A press conference by US president Donald Trump took an unexpected turn yesterday after Trump announced not only the end of Hong Kong’s favorable trade status under American law, but that the US would be withdrawing from the World Health Organization. The WHO is the UN agency responsible for global health. The move is expected to have large repercussions on both Taiwan and Hong Kong...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalMay 20209 min read